The Zoologist — Febrdary, 1866. 97 



remaining until the spring; but during the last two months they have been unusually 

 abundant. A lew weeks since, on visiting the Plymouth Breakwater with a friend, we 

 fell in with several flocks, from which we obtained many specimens. When feeding 

 on the rocks during stormy weather, the purple sandpiper has a habit of crouching on 

 the approach of a large wave, holding firmly on to the rock, and allowing the spray to 

 dash completely over it; on the receding of the wave it rises and runs about nimbly, 

 feeding until the approach of the next.— /oA» Galcomhe; Plymouth, in the ' Field' of 

 Janwary 13, 1866. 



Large Snipe.— A specimeu of the large snipe, before mentioned in the Zoologist, 

 by Mr. Rodd (Zool. 4704), and Mr. Gatcombe (Zool. 7938), killed on Dartmoor on 

 the 13lb of December, was brought me the following day. It seemed rather smaller than 

 the individuals previously described, weighing only about 5^ ounces. The markings 

 were verv distinct and bright, but did not greatly differ from those of Scolopax 

 gallinago". The body was remarkably long. Mr. Gould is inclioed to consider these 

 large snipes as belonging to a distinct species, and proposes the name S. ru^sata for it 

 in case this is ascertained to be so. Captain Morshead informs me he has shot a bird 

 very similar on the Woolwich Marshes.—/. Broohing-Rowe ; December 22, 1865. 



Colossal Bird.— A gentleman now in Nelson reports to have discovered, in some 

 beds of limestone on the other side of the bay, fossil remains of a gigantic bird, 

 estimated to have stood about twenty-five feet high. The fossils are in a most perfect 

 state, and have been thus described to us :-The most complete specimen is ihiit of a 

 bead', witl. the absence of a lower jaw, the extreme dimensions of it being 3 feet 

 4 inJhes by 1 foot 10 inches ; tiie orbit, or what is seen of the eye, measures 4^ inches 

 by 2i inches The next specimen is that of a body without the neck : in this specimen 

 the sternum shows itself highly developed, but rather flat; the tail is long, the body 

 very bulky The wings, which are well defined, and are large and close to the body, 

 are seuaiaied by a large saddle or cradle, very graceful in form. The feathers covering 

 the body are of large size, and lying close. The body lies on its side, the bulky part 

 facino- "the lower ground or valley. The bad weather prevented further research. 

 Part of the abd.unen, which seemed to be very highly developed, and the legs, if they 

 were to be found, were still covered by about two or three feet of soil and entangled m 

 the roots of shrubs. Several detached pieces of fossils of similar kind were found not 

 far from the same spot. From the description given of these remains they do not 

 appear to have belonged to a moa, but to souie other gigantic bird of which Nve have 

 no record in New Zealand. The gentleman who made the discovery has waited upon 

 the superintendent, and offers to disclose the remains to the Govern.nent.-F>om the 

 ' Nelson Examiner: October 12, 1865. [Communicated by Mr. F. Tuckett ] 



Dodo Bones in the Island of iVfauriU,«.-The ' Mauritius Commercial Gazette 

 contains the following paruculars of the discovery of bones of the dodo in the Island 

 of Mauritius:-" Mr. Clark, during a very long residence here, had made many 

 inquiries and researches in order to learn something more about the dodo than was 

 already known generally, or to find some remnants of it, but without success. On 

 Dr Ayre-s's last visit to Mahebourg be conversed with Mr. Clark about the dodo, and 

 ^ asked whether by digging round the ruins of the old Dutch settlement there might not 

 be a chance of meeting with some remains ? Mr. Clark did not see any probability of 

 success in tl.at quarter, as these dwellings were situated on a spot where nothing would 

 be likely to bury itself in the earth, of which the surface is every year swept completely 

 SECOND SERIES^VOL, I. ° 



